Vincent arrived back at Mandrake completely spent. His whole body ached from the manual labour he had engaged in that afternoon, and his clothes certainly showed the evidence of his endeavour.
He saw the shock in Hobson’s eyes when he opened the door to him, the butler unable to hide his initial surprise. “Did you have an accident your lordship?” Hobson asked, concerned by his master’s appearance.
“Nothing to worry about,” replied Vincent. “If you could draw me a hot bath before dinner.”
After helping him off with his outer coat, Hobson ran on ahead up the stairs to do as his master commanded.
Vincent considered entering the drawing room to see everyone before going up, but then decided that the explanation for his condition would take too long, and too much out of him as he would have
